Make something real. Know the rules first.

At a glance

Organiser

Video Stack Limited (company number 16277101)

Entry

Free. No purchase needed. Online from anywhere, or in person in London.

Submissions close

12:00 midday UK time, Sunday 11 October 2026

Challenges

Several challenges, each run independently by its own sponsor under its own Challenge Rules

Main Prize

Development of the winning entry into a series for Fairground TV, with up to USD 20,000 of StoryMachine credits, and a share of advertising revenue if the series is shown. Open to any entry in any challenge except adverts. Broadcast is not guaranteed.

Your work

You keep ownership. You must own, or be licensed to use, everything in your entry.

This summary is for convenience only. The full rules below apply.

1About these rules

1.1 Big Screen Hack London 2026 (the "Competition") is run by Video Stack Limited (company number 16277101), 4th Floor, 14 Museum Place, Cardiff, CF10 3BH (the "Organiser").

1.2 These rules apply to everyone who enters, whichever challenge they enter.

1.3 Each challenge is run independently by its own sponsor, which sets that challenge's rules (the "Challenge Rules").

• To win a challenge prize, you must follow these rules and that challenge's Challenge Rules.
• To win the Main Prize, these rules apply.
• If the Challenge Rules and these rules disagree about a challenge prize, the Challenge Rules win. If they disagree about anything else, these rules win.
• For credits and other support from sponsors and partners, clause 5.8 sets out which terms take priority.

1.4 By entering, you agree to these rules and to the Challenge Rules of every challenge you enter. If you do not agree, do not enter.

1.5 Entry is free and no purchase is needed. Prizes are won on skill and judgement, not chance.

1.6 The latest version of these rules is published at bigscreenhack.com.

2Words used in these rules

• Entry: anything you submit, including a film, pilot, advert, music video, soundtrack, previz, workflow and any supporting material.
• Entrant or you: anyone who enters, alone or as part of a team.
• Challenge: a challenge run by a sponsor within the Competition.
• Sponsor: a company that runs a challenge or supports the Competition.
• Partners: StoryMachine Limited ("StoryMachine") and Fairground Entertainment ("Fairground"), who fund the Main Prize.
• Existing IP: anything that existed before 5 October 2026, or that you did not create for this Competition. That includes characters, worlds, stories, scripts, footage, music, artwork and designs.
• Third-Party Material: anything you did not create and do not own.

3Key dates (all times UK)

Kick-off and brief released

Monday 5 October 2026

Hack week

Monday 5 to Sunday 11 October 2026

Judging begins

12:00 midday, Saturday 10 October 2026

Submissions close

12:00 midday, Sunday 11 October 2026

Shortlist announced

Wednesday 14 October 2026

Premiere and winners announced

Friday 16 October 2026, 7.30pm, on an IMAX screen in London

Some challenges run to a different timetable. Where they do, their Challenge Rules give the dates. All dates, times and venues are subject to clause 17.

4Who can enter

4.1 You must be 18 or over on the day you enter. You may be asked for proof of age.

4.2 You can take part online from anywhere the law allows, or in person in London. Where sanctions or other laws forbid it, a prize cannot be awarded, even if you were otherwise eligible.

4.3 Professionals, studios and companies are welcome. A company or studio enters through a named individual who has authority to bind it.

4.4 You can enter on your own or as a team of up to 5. Each person may be in only one team.

• Every team names a lead entrant, who submits on the team's behalf and is the Organiser's contact.
• Every team member must agree to these rules.
• The lead entrant confirms they have the team's authority to enter.

4.5 The following cannot enter a challenge they are involved with:

• the Organiser's staff
• judges, for the challenges they judge
• a sponsor's staff, for that sponsor's challenge
• the immediate family and household of any of these people, for the same challenges

4.6 Entries must be in English or carry English subtitles.

5The challenges

5.1 The Competition is made up of several challenges. Each challenge is run independently by its own sponsor, which sets:

• the brief
• the Challenge Rules
• how to enter
• how entries are judged
• the prize

5.2 The current challenges, and the Challenge Rules for each, are published at bigscreenhack.com/challenges. Challenges may be added, changed or withdrawn under clause 17.

5.3 Each challenge's Challenge Rules apply only to that challenge.

5.4 You may enter more than one challenge, and one Entry may count for more than one challenge, unless a challenge's Challenge Rules say otherwise.

5.5 Each sponsor is solely responsible for its own challenge, including its brief, rules, judging and prize.

• The Organiser is not liable for a challenge prize that a sponsor fails to provide.
• No sponsor is responsible for any other challenge or for the Main Prize.

5.6 Sponsor platforms. When you use a sponsor's platform, its terms of use and privacy policy apply between you and that sponsor. The Organiser is not responsible for:

• outages or content moderation on a sponsor's platform
• what a sponsor does with details you give it directly

5.7 Sponsor materials. A sponsor may supply briefs, brand assets, logos, music, likenesses or other materials.

• You may use them only to make your Entry for that challenge, and only during the Competition, unless its Challenge Rules allow more.
• Using them does not imply the sponsor endorses you.
• A sponsor needs a separate agreement with you to use your Entry as real advertising.

5.8 Credits and other support from sponsors and partners.

(a) Sponsors and partners may offer free credits or other support. They are given on the provider's own terms. You may need to post about the Competition to unlock them.

(b) By accepting them, you agree to the provider's terms, including its terms of use, fair use limits, expiry dates and any conditions attached to the offer.

(c) Where the provider's terms and these rules disagree about the credits, or about your use of that provider's platform, the provider's terms win. These rules still govern everything else, including:

• eligibility
• judging
• prizes, including the Main Prize
• ownership of your Entry and the licence in clause 11

(d) Before you accept, check whether the provider's terms give it any rights in what you make. If they do, you are responsible for making sure that does not stop you meeting clauses 7.3 and 11.

(e) Credits have no cash value, may expire at the end of hack week, and are not guaranteed by the Organiser. The Organiser is not responsible for any provider's terms or how it applies them.

6The Main Prize: development into a series for Fairground TV

6.1 Who can win. Every Entry in every challenge is considered for the Main Prize, except adverts. You do not need to enter a particular challenge to win it, and you do not need to attend any event.

6.2 What the winner receives. StoryMachine will make available up to a maximum of USD 20,000 of StoryMachine platform credits, to develop the winning Entry into a series.

• The credits have no cash value and cannot be exchanged for cash, sold or transferred.
• They can only be used on StoryMachine for the winning project, and are subject to StoryMachine's terms of use.
• They expire 12 months after they are issued.
• Apart from the revenue share in clause 6.5, they are the whole prize. There is no cash, fee or budget unless separately agreed in writing.

6.3 Development only happens if you want it. The winner is not obliged to develop their Entry.

• Any development, production, broadcast or distribution will be covered by a separate written agreement between the winner and StoryMachine and/or Fairground.
• Nothing in these rules transfers ownership of the winner's work, or obliges anyone to sign that agreement.

6.4 If the winner does not take it up. The Organiser may offer the Main Prize to the next-placed Entry, or not award it, if the winner:

• declines it
• does not sign the agreement in 6.3 within 30 days of it being offered
• cannot be contacted within 14 days

6.5 Advertising revenue share. If the series is shown on Fairground, Fairground will pay out 50% of the net advertising revenue it receives from showing the series (the "Revenue Share"). Fairground keeps the other 50%. The Revenue Share is split 50/50: half to the creator, and half to the sponsors and partners that provided credits for the development of the series, shared between them in proportion to the value of the credits each provided. The Revenue Share applies only to advertising revenue from Fairground showing the series. It is paid on the terms set out in the agreement under 6.3. No amount of revenue is guaranteed.

6.6 No guarantee of broadcast. Winning does not guarantee that the series, or any part of it, will be shown on Fairground or anywhere else. Fairground decides at its sole discretion, and may decline if, in its judgement, the series:

• is unsuitable for its audience
• would or might breach the Ofcom Broadcasting Code, or any law, regulation or broadcasting rule in the UK or any other country where it would be shown
• does not meet its technical or editorial quality standards

If the series is not shown, the winner has no claim against the Organiser, the Partners or any sponsor.

6.7 Partner contributions. Other sponsors may contribute credits, services or funding to the series, but have no obligation to. A sponsor that contributes to a series shown on Fairground will receive an on-screen credit in that production, in a form decided by Fairground and the Organiser. Sponsors that contributed credits also share in the Revenue Share under clause 6.5.

7Your IP, and bringing your own

7.1 Your Entry must be your own original work and your own intellectual property.

7.2 Bringing in Existing IP. You may bring Existing IP into your Entry only if both of these are true:

• you own it outright, or hold a written licence that covers this Competition, the licence in clause 11, and (for the Main Prize) development, production and broadcast as a series
• every co-owner has agreed in writing

7.3 Existing deals. Your Existing IP must not be tied up in any agreement that would stop you granting the licence in clause 11 or taking up the Main Prize. That includes an option, an exclusive licence, or a development or distribution deal.

7.4 Earlier work. You may enter work made, screened or released before the Competition, as long as clauses 7.2 and 7.3 are met. At submission you must declare any previous screenings, festival selections, releases or publication, and any existing deals.

7.5 Adaptations. If your Entry is based on someone else's work or a real person's life, you need the adaptation rights in writing. That includes a book, play, article, game or song.

7.6 Third-Party Material. You must not use Third-Party Material unless you are licensed to use it in this way. That includes:

• characters, stories, scripts and footage
• music, including samples and covers
• images, fonts, artwork, logos, brands and trade marks
• buildings or locations that need permission to film

7.7 Brands. Do not show real brands, logos or products in a way that suggests endorsement, unless a challenge brief supplies them.

7.8 Music. Music must be one of the following, and cleared for public screening and broadcast:

• original
• made with an AI tool whose terms allow this use
• royalty-free with a licence that covers this use
• properly licensed

7.9 Real people.

• Anyone who appears in your Entry, or whose voice is used, must have given written permission.
• You must not create a synthetic likeness or voice clone of a real person, including a public figure, without their written consent. Where a sponsor supplies a real person's likeness or voice for its challenge, you may use it only as that challenge's Challenge Rules allow.
• You must not depict a real person in a way that is defamatory, misleading or invades their privacy.

7.10 Children. Anyone under 18 who appears in your Entry needs the written consent of a parent or guardian.

7.11 Filming. Follow the law, get any permits you need, and respect other people's privacy.

7.12 AI tools.

• You must follow each tool's terms, including any limits on commercial use.
• Do not use AI to imitate a specific copyrighted character or work.
• You are responsible for checking that AI output does not reproduce Third-Party Material.

7.13 Copyright in AI material. The Organiser makes no promise about whether, or how far, AI-generated material is protected by copyright in any country. That risk is yours.

7.14 Proof. Keep evidence of how you made your Entry and what you have the right to use. If asked, you must provide it within 7 days. That evidence includes:

• licences, releases and consents
• chain of title for any Existing IP
• project files, prompts or workflows

If you cannot provide it, your Entry may be disqualified.

8Ideas and similar entries

8.1 The Competition receives many Entries. Other Entrants may submit similar ideas, themes, titles or formats.

8.2 Entries are shown publicly, so nobody owes you a duty of confidentiality about them. That applies to the Organiser, the Partners, the sponsors and the judges.

8.3 Any of them may develop or commission similar material independently. You have no claim for that, provided they do not use your actual Entry outside the licence in clause 11.

8.4 Do not submit anything confidential.

9How to submit

9.1 Submit through the Big Screen Hack platform at bigscreenhack.com, following the steps on the page for each challenge, or through a sponsor's platform where its Challenge Rules require it, by 12:00 midday UK time on Sunday 11 October 2026.

9.2 Unless the brief or Challenge Rules say otherwise, deliver your Entry as an MP4 or ProRes file, at least 1080p, in any aspect ratio. Runtime is set by the brief or Challenge Rules for each challenge.

9.3 With your Entry you must declare:

• the team members and their roles
• which challenges you are entering
• the tools and AI models you used
• who owns the script and any Existing IP
• any human-shot material, likeness permissions and music rights
• previous screenings, releases and existing deals
• any countries where the work cannot be shown

9.4 You may update your Entry until the deadline.

9.5 The Organiser is not responsible for lost, late, corrupted or unreadable Entries, including those caused by a platform or upload failure. The Organiser may extend a deadline but does not have to.

10Judging

10.1 Judging begins at 12:00 midday on Saturday 10 October. Entries received before then may be judged from that point. Every Entry received by the deadline will be judged.

10.2 The Main Prize is judged by an independent industry panel on story, craft, originality and command of the medium.

10.3 Challenge prizes are judged as their Challenge Rules set out. The sponsor may sit on that panel.

10.4 Judges must declare any conflict of interest and step away from judging the Entries concerned.

10.5 The Organiser may check eligibility before announcing a winner. Judges' decisions are final. The Organiser may choose not to award a prize if no Entry is of a high enough standard.

10.6 Any audience award runs under the mechanics published with it. Manipulating votes means disqualification.

11Rights in your Entry

11.1 You keep ownership of your Entry.

11.2 By entering, you give the Organiser, its co-host RecDek House, the Partners and the sponsors a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence, lasting indefinitely, to:

• judge your Entry
• screen it at Competition events, including the premiere
• show clips, stills and the full Entry online
• use it to promote Big Screen Hack and the sponsors' involvement in it
• keep it in the Big Screen Hack film archive

11.3 Under that licence they may:

• make cut-downs, trailers and subtitles
• make technical changes for exhibition, such as format conversion, upscaling, and colour or sound adjustment, without changing the creative content

You waive your moral rights only as far as needed for these uses. You will be credited where reasonably practical.

11.4 The licence does not allow anyone to sell your Entry or use it as paid advertising without a separate agreement with you.

11.5 After the premiere you may ask for your Entry to be removed from the archive, and it will be removed within a reasonable time. Material already published, printed or covered by the press cannot be recalled.

11.6 You must have the right to grant this licence.

12Screening and content standards

12.1 Being shortlisted does not guarantee a screening. The Organiser decides what is shown, in what order, and whether in full or in part.

12.2 Entries for public screening must be suitable for a 15 rating, as judged by the Organiser. The Organiser may decline to screen, or ask for cuts to, anything it considers unsuitable for the venue, the audience, the law, or any classification or licensing requirement.

12.3 Entries must not contain any of the following:

• hateful, discriminatory, sexually explicit or gratuitously violent content
• illegal or defamatory content
• anything that encourages harm
• misinformation presented as fact about real events or people

12.4 The Organiser may add content warnings.

13Taking part in person and online

13.1 Follow venue rules, health and safety requirements, and staff instructions.

13.2 Treat everyone with respect. Harassment, discrimination and intimidation are not tolerated. This applies equally in the Discord, WhatsApp and other online channels.

13.3 The Organiser may remove anyone from an event or channel, and may disqualify them.

13.4 You bring your own equipment at your own risk.

13.5 Events are photographed and filmed, so you may appear. Tell a member of staff if you would rather not be filmed.

13.6 Tickets to the reception and premiere are subject to capacity. Travel and accommodation are not covered unless agreed in writing.

14Prizes

14.1 Challenge prizes are set out in their Challenge Rules, and are delivered by the Organiser or the sponsor as stated there.

14.2 Cash prizes.

• Paid by bank transfer, in the currency stated, within 30 days of the premiere and after verification.
• The winner pays their own bank charges.
• A team's prize is paid to the lead entrant, who is responsible for sharing it with the team.

14.3 Credits and non-cash prizes have no cash value, cannot be transferred, have no cash alternative and are subject to the provider's terms.

14.4 Accepting a prize. Winners must accept within 14 days and provide what is needed for verification and payment, which may include ID, address, bank details and tax forms. If they do not, the prize is forfeited and may go to the next-placed Entry.

14.5 Prizes are subject to sanctions and anti-money laundering checks.

14.6 Winners are responsible for their own tax. The Organiser may withhold tax where the law requires it.

14.7 Winners agree to take part in reasonable publicity, such as their name, Entry title and photo, without extra payment.

15Withdrawal and disqualification

15.1 You may withdraw your Entry before the shortlist is announced by emailing hello@bigscreenhack.com.

15.2 The Organiser may disqualify an Entry, or withdraw a prize at any time (including after it has been awarded), for:

• breaking these rules or any Challenge Rules
• infringing anyone's rights
• misrepresentation, including false declarations about authorship or tools
• plagiarism or cheating
• conduct that breaks clause 13
• being ineligible

Any cash prize obtained in breach must be repaid.

15.3 To the extent the law allows, you are responsible for any claim against the Organiser, the Partners or the sponsors that arises from your breach of these rules.

16Your details

16.1 The Organiser uses your details to run the Competition, in line with UK data protection law and its privacy policy at bigscreenhack.com/privacy.

16.2 Your details are shared with a sponsor only to run a challenge you entered, to deliver a prize you won, or to give you credits, subscriptions or other support you claim from that sponsor. If you unlock a sponsor's offer by posting about the Competition, your name and a link to your post are shared with that sponsor. Sponsor representatives may also join the Competition's WhatsApp community, where they can see your WhatsApp name and number.

16.3 If you tick a box to hear from a sponsor, your name, email address and WhatsApp number are shared with that sponsor, and it may send you marketing. Sponsors will only send you marketing if you opt in. You can unsubscribe at any time. Each sponsor uses your details under its own privacy policy. Some sponsors are based outside the UK, including in the United States.

16.4 Winners' names and Entry titles may be published.

17Changes and substitution

17.1 The Organiser may change, substitute, postpone or cancel any element of the Competition at any time, for operational, legal or any other reason. This includes:

• dates, times and venues, including the premiere and the IMAX screening
• challenges, sponsors, partners and judges
• prizes, including the Main Prize

17.2 Where it reasonably can, the Organiser will give notice on bigscreenhack.com, and offer a substitute of similar value.

18Liability

18.1 The Organiser, the Partners and the sponsors are not liable for any of the following:

• loss, damage or injury at events
• technical failures
• lost or corrupted files
• indirect or consequential loss

18.2 Nothing in these rules limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or for anything else the law does not allow to be limited.

18.3 Your statutory consumer rights, and any mandatory protections under the law where you live, are not affected.

19General

19.1 On anything these rules do not cover, the Organiser's decision is final, to the extent the law allows.

19.2 If any part of these rules is found unenforceable, the rest still applies.

19.3 The Partners, the sponsors and RecDek House may enforce the parts of these rules that benefit them, under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999. Nobody else has that right.

19.4 Taking part does not make you an employee, partner or agent of the Organiser, the Partners or any sponsor.

19.5 Contact: hello@bigscreenhack.com.

19.6 These rules are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction.